For a dance team, it means having great group dynamics in addition to learning the steps. The steps should also be clean, coordinated and look flawless. God knows that looking flawless is never easy.

Every once in a while, I'll trawl online for videos that will teach me more. There are only so many classes a dancer can take. And yet, there is still so much to learn in terms of body movement and styling that we can do to improve the way we dance. Don't get me wrong, classes are great but to really practice what you've learnt, you have to do it on the social floor (yes, I nag but you and I know that this is true for any dancer.)

But enough yammering, right. Check this out:

These guys are from the Santo Rico dance company in New York. The one word that came to my mind as I was watching this was: confidence. It takes a lot of pizzaz to move like that! I love the choreography and the ladies' confidence and body movements! The transitions and musicality of the piece are pretty flawless, even though this has to be one of the longest pieces for a salsa team.

Costumes are a big part of any group. It shows great group cohesion and breathes life to the choreo. Sexy costumes are a way of showing off the curves of the woman in addition to showcase her exquisite moves. We all know how ridiculous the costumes can get but what will you do if you encounter..jeng jeng jeng...*stage whisper* the dreaded wardrobe malfunction?

You CARRY ON DANCING. If you weren't as sharp-eyed (or blind if you missed that little nugget), you'd probably not notice that small glitch. Holy crap, I'm amazed that she could still nail that performance with all its complicated choreo and tricks. Kudos! I hope to be as professional should anything happen.

Finally, this last video that I came across features one of the fastest couples on the salsa scene today. John Vazques and Judy Aguila, salsa world champions. They have a distinct style that is both breathtaking and so damned hard to emulate. Oh and note: this video is NOT speeded up. They really do dance like that.

Well, that's it from me for this year then. Wishing you a happy one and a great 2012! And yes, this is the team :o)